Give and Take

Return the Favor


The air crackles tightly with electricity and she almost wishes she'd gone with the others. That would of been stupid though; leaving Zuko to fend for himself, so she dismisses the thought as soon as it comes.

He's battling his own flesh and blood now. It's orange against cold blue and actually she hasn't done much of anything. He really is fending for himself and doing it quite well. They meet blow for blow with equally matched flame but there is something about the deranged princess that has Katara on edge. She can feel the lightning brimming at the girl's jagged fingernails and it hums against her eardrums. All she has to do is center herself, wind up and let the energy gather...

Katara keeps her water near in case something ridiculous happens. Like Zuko getting injured which she prefers not to think about. Somehow he's become one of her top priorities and she refuses to fail him when victory is so close.

She keeps her eyes on the both of them, watching them exchange blasts and the battle is extraordinary. It's beautiful in the explosive mixture of color; the hiss and the pop of heat that fans over her tan skin. They shouldn't be fighting like this. Brother against sister. But it's been inevitable for so long and it's one of the final steps to end this war. It has to be done.

Before long her eyes are solely on him. He's focused, gaze on his sister though his body flows through a number of difficult forms to counteract her attacks.

There's sweat on his brow, and his hair has grown so unkempt that it brushes his eyelashes. But she kind of likes that hair...likes the way it moves with him opposed to the awkward baldness he'd sported just a short while back. It goes along with the new him; this new caring, dedicated boy whom she'd never thought she might come to care for. (The way in which she cares is still yet to be determined but she calls it friendship to cut out pondering time)

Suddenly, the atmosphere changes. Her blue eyes make contact with his gold, and she can practically taste the change as they melt from determined to fearful to determined again. A snarl from the princess and then Katara is very aware of a crackling bolt of lightning slithering through the air in her direction. She chastises herself in the moment for being so stupid - for not paying well enough attention. She's angry for being distracted and then at the idea that she could die right then and there, lacking so many experiences and ending up another victim of war. What will everyone do without her? What will Zuko do without her?

And then the aforementioned Prince's body is between her and her almost-killer and he hits the ground with a thud. He seizes once, attempts to get up, and then nothing.

She's not angry at herself anymore; she's infuriated at someone else entirely.

Stupid, stupid, stupid boy she thinks, before withdrawing her element from her water pouch and submitting herself to battle. Didn't I say no more favors?

Azula's aim is practically indiscernible now so she has to jump from place to place praying she wont be struck. Each moment she's inches from being electrocuted and every one of her parrying attacks are deftly avoided. It's getting ridiculous and Katara is running out of water. Her senses automatically extend, searching for another source and almost instantly she can hear the trickling of her element beneath a grate. The idea forms in her mind, and then she acts.

It's almost too easy, the way the Princess falls for her trap. The great wave of water that Katara freezes them in is clear enough for her to see Azula's confused and horrified face. Katara is well aware that had she been a little less insane, the plan wouldn't have worked. But she takes advantage of the fact that it has and breathes through her nose, bending the ice into water around her so she can chain the princess to the grate. Gasping for breath, she lets the wall drop and the exasperated girl can fully grasp that she's been defeated. Her howling screams echo in Katara's ears as she returns to the boy that has so foolishly taken her bolt of lightning.

She drops to her knees beside him and the first glimpse of his injury is really, really bad. The skin is completely blackened, nerves most likely dead, and the wound gets progressively worse until it meets the center. His face is so pale and now that perfectly unkempt hair is plastered to his sweaty forehead. Stupid, stupid boy.

She summons enough water to cover the area and places her hands on his chest, wincing. Some of that miraculous spirit water would have been perfect for this moment and she tries to hold back tears because she doesn't have any. His chest feels hollow, like there's nothing beneath it the way there should be and she feels so afraid. What if he doesn't wake up? What if this isn't enough? It had barely been enough for Aang….

Before long the blackened wound has healed into something light pink around the edges and dark pink and puckered in the center. He still hasn't opened his eyes though, so she keeps on. She can feel the chi where his heart should be and it's all twisted and just wrong. Nothing happens for the longest time. Nothing. He doesn't move, he doesn't breathe. She heals and heals desperately until he can't be healed anymore….and then collapses onto his chest when it's not enough.

"Zuko," she cries, and she feels like a little girl again, sobbing over her mother's burnt body. "You're so stupid and dumb. I hate you. You suck so hard, I really could've handled this! Why do I always end up crying on you, damnit.

I hate you for being brave. I hate you for being so rock-headed and temperamental and stubborn. I hate you for dying on me, when I've just started to like you!" She stops her ranting for a moment to wipe her face because her tears are getting really obnoxious, but when she sits up something catches her eye.

Movement.

It's just a small sliver of gold behind a barely twitching eyelid but it's enough. She promptly presses her head against his chest once more and there it is….a heartbeat. Fragile but there never the less. Gods, he's alive. He's actually alive.

Before she can stop herself she grabs fistfuls of his scorched tunic and pulls him into a sitting position, right into her arms. Careful not to further damage his injury, she lets his limp body lean into her; lets his pale face settle against her shoulder. Her fingers delve into the messy black hair at the base of his neck and she holds him like she'd held the Avatar upon his return from death. Something about this situation is just a little different this time though.

It doesn't take long before Zuko's eyes flutter fully open and his own arms move to return the hug, albeit weakly.

"Katara?" he coughs, with more rasp than normal.

"Shh, " she says. "You're hurt, but you're okay now." And then, as an after thought, "Oh and I hate you."

He laughs a little harder than a mortally wounded person should, shoulders shaking under her hold. "Again?"

Katara sighs and then settles her chin on the crown of his head. "No. But I said no more favors, and you threw yourself in front of a lightning bolt. You never listen."

"I don't," he agrees. "But you saved my life. I think we're even. Our roles have reversed."

His words bring her back to a cold, hopeless night. To a flickering fire and a weak girl seeking comfort in it's maker. Any other moment and she might have blushed; might have denied it's happening. But it had happened. And he was right.

"So they have." She murmurs, and then holds him a little tighter. Maybe he's an ex-prince. Maybe she likes his unkempt hair and this new person he's turning out to be even though the very idea is kind of weirding her out. Maybe their world is possibly crumbling as they speak, or maybe it's being made right again. But she can at least return to him what he has given.

"So they have."